As web designers and developers, we know that choosing the right color palette is crucial for creating visually appealing and accessible designs. However, choosing the right color system can be a challenge. While many designers rely on HSL (Hue, Saturation, Lightness) as their go-to color system, it may not be the best option when it comes to creating accessible designs.
In this article, we’ll explore the drawbacks of using HSL for color systems and why designers should consider alternative options for creating accessible palettes.
Table of Contents
Understanding HSL Color System
Before we dive into the drawbacks of using HSL for color systems, let’s briefly review what HSL is and how it works.
HSL is a cylindrical-coordinate representation of colors that is similar to the more commonly used RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color system. The HSL model defines colors in terms of their hue (color), saturation (color intensity), and lightness (brightness).
The hue is represented as a degree on a color wheel, ranging from 0 to 360 degrees. Saturation is a percentage value that describes the intensity of the color, with 0% being completely desaturated (gray) and 100% being fully saturated. Finally, the lightness value ranges from 0% (black) to 100% (white) and describes the brightness of the color.
While HSL is a powerful tool for creating color palettes, it has some significant drawbacks when it comes to accessibility.
The Drawbacks of HSL for Accessibility
One of the biggest drawbacks of using HSL for accessibility is that it doesn’t take into account how colors look to people with different types of color blindness.
Color blindness affects around 8% of men and 0.5% of women of Northern European descent, and it can significantly impact how people perceive colors. The most common form of color blindness is red-green color blindness, which means that people have difficulty distinguishing between red and green hues.
When designing for accessibility, it’s important to choose colors that are distinguishable for people with color blindness. Unfortunately, the HSL color system doesn’t provide a good way to test for this.
Additionally, HSL can be limited when it comes to creating color palettes that are readable and accessible for people with visual impairments, such as low vision or blindness. The lightness value doesn’t always accurately represent how light or dark a color appears to someone with a visual impairment.
Finally, HSL isn’t always the most effective way to create color palettes that meet accessibility standards, such as those set forth by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG provides guidelines for creating accessible designs, including contrast ratios between text and background colors. While it’s possible to calculate contrast ratios using HSL, it’s not the most straightforward method and may lead to errors.
Alternatives to HSL for Accessibility
While HSL is a popular color system among designers, it’s not always the best option for creating accessible color palettes. Fortunately, there are several alternative color systems that are better suited for creating accessible designs.
One alternative is the LAB color system, which stands for Luminosity, A, and B. The LAB system is a color space that was developed to be more perceptually uniform, meaning that it takes into account how colors look to the human eye. The LAB system is ideal for creating color palettes that are readable and distinguishable for people with different types of color blindness.
Another alternative is the CIELUV color system, which is similar to the LAB system but also takes into account the lightness of a color. The CIELUV system is particularly useful for creating color palettes that meet WCAG standards, as it provides a more accurate way to calculate contrast ratios between text and background colors.
Both the LAB and CIELUV systems provide more accurate and reliable ways to create accessible color palettes. They are particularly useful for designers who want to create designs that are readable and distinguishable for people with color blindness, visual impairments, or other disabilities.
Tips for Creating Accessible Color Palettes
In addition to choosing the right color system, there are several other tips that designers can follow to create accessible color palettes:
- Use contrast to improve readability: Choose colors with high contrast to improve readability for people with visual impairments. A contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between text and background colors is recommended for most body text.
- Consider color blindness: Choose colors that are distinguishable for people with different types of color blindness. Use tools such as Color Oracle or Sim Daltonism to simulate how colors appear to people with color blindness.
- Test color palettes: Use tools such as WebAIM’s Color Contrast Checker to test your color palettes for contrast and readability.
- Avoid relying on color alone: Use other visual cues, such as underlines, bold text, or icons, to convey information in addition to color.
Conclusion
In conclusion, choosing the right color system is crucial for creating accessible color palettes. While HSL is a popular choice among designers, it may not be the best option for creating accessible designs. Alternative color systems, such as LAB and CIELUV, provide more accurate and reliable ways to create color palettes that are readable and distinguishable for people with different types of disabilities.
By following these tips and best practices, designers can create designs that are accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. Accessibility is not only important from a moral standpoint, but it’s also a legal requirement in many countries. Creating accessible designs benefits not only people with disabilities but also the entire user base by making designs more inclusive and usable for everyone.
Resources:
- WebAIM Color Contrast Checker: https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
- Color Oracle: https://colororacle.org/
- Sim Daltonism: https://michelf.ca/projects/sim-daltonism/
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG): https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/
- The LAB Color Space: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lab_color_space
- The CIELUV Color Space: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIELUV
